Danger!

I just went in the front room and found Macey like this.

Shaylin put this sign on her. What a great big sister.

Sitter

Macey had an exciting week. My Mom taught her how to sit all by herself. It is the cutest thing! She sits with her back perfectly straight and plays with toys that we spread out in front of her. Every once in awhile she looks up at us and beams. I think that she is proud of herself. She also learned to make a clicking sound with her tongue.
Now she sits and clicks all day – happy as a clam.

Our New Fountain

On Saturday, Sawyer came running into the house and said, "Um Dad, I fink I broke somefing. There is a lot of water now. I’m rrrreallly sorry." Jason and I looked out the window and saw water shooting up out of our water main. Sawyer’s four-wheeler was parked right next to it. Jason just looked and me and said, "Of course."
Sawyer kept saying, "Wow Dad, that’s a lot of water!"

Hi.

We just had a lesson in church on keeping a journal. Ugh. I need to get inspired. Hopefully, this will fit the bill.

Welcome to our online family journal!

Family Updates

My little brother has been on a mission in Argentina since February. So for the past four months, I have been writing him weekly family updates. I think that counts as journal keeping, don't you? I will post some of those updates from the past few months.

May 13th - Cute Macey

Macey learned to say, "Da da da da da da" this week. It is her first real word. She says it constantly, and it makes Jason so proud.

She also got her first sucker this week, courtesy of Sawyer, and she freaked out. She got sticky sucker juice everywhere, but she was in heaven! While she ate it, she kept taking it out of her mouth and looking at it and squealing. It was like she was saying, "Ok, now this is what I am talking about. I have got to remember what this looks like and get me some more of these!" Great.

May 8th - Cute Skyler

We have been tackling our gigantic garden and orchard this week. I read some cute ideas about involving kids in gardening. One idea was to give each child an area of the garden that is their very own, and then tell them that they can plant anything that they want in it. They can eat their harvest, or share it or sell it to you at grocery store prices.

Skyler is so excited to make money with his garden plot. He is currently researching produce prices so that he can plant the most expensive fruits and vegetables in his plot. Right now, he is leaning towards grapes. We'll see how that goes.

Macey had her first accident this week. She fell off of my bed. She cried and cried and cried. It was horrible! The kids all came running in to see what had happened. After I told them, Sawyer said quietly, "Yea, I fall off the bed all the time." Then Skyler said even quieter, "Yea, so do I". Shaylin looked at them like they were insane.

May 1st - Cute Sawyer

This week Sawyer was blessing the food we had brought home from McDonalds. He had gotten a burger, and it unfortunately had a pickle on it. In Sawyer’s prayer he said, "Thank you for this food. Please bless it. Please bless my burger a lot, because I do not like pickles!"

Then at family night, I was saying the prayer and I thanked Heavenly Father for "sweet, little Sawyer who taught our lesson". Sawyer whispered to me from across the room, "Say sweet, BIG Sawyer, Mom!" So I did.

April 22nd - Cute Shaylin

Shaylin was talking about a friend that she just made named Madeline. She said, "I am grateful for Madeline. I need more friends that go to church. I mean, I know that I have Jesus, and He goes to church, but it’s not like He comes over to play or anything."

A few days ago, Shay came home from school VERY upset about something that her music teacher had told them. She said, "Mom, guess what? There was this beautiful park and none of the children that lived by it appreciated it. So they paved paradise and put up a parking lot!!!" So funny.

April 20th - Easter Surprise

This year, Jason announced that he was going to be the Easter Bunny and give me a break. Now usually our kids get small gifts for Easter, like a jump rope or a used Nintendo game. Well, this year Jason bought them four-wheelers! What?!

The kids just about fainted! They have been outside riding their four-wheelers ever since they got them. They only come in to eat, sleep and pee (sometimes).

Soon after getting on his four-wheeler for the first time, Sky ran right into our shed. A few minutes later he told us, "I have figured out that when I drive, it is just best to avoid the shed." Words to live by.

Shaylin loves that her four-wheeler is yellow and that her helmet matches it. She drives very slowly and very carefully. I went into the garage last night and found her reading a book to her four-wheeler who was wrapped in a blanket and had a pillow under it. So sweet.

Sawyer is just hilarious. He can easily maneuver his four-wheeler around tight spaces and sharp turns. We are constantly expecting him to crash, but he is in complete control. He loves to skid to a stop and yell, "Ka-chow!" (like Lightning McQueen). He told us last night that his four-wheeler's name is Big Blue.

Next year, I'd better be the Easter Bunny again.

April 5th - Nerd

It is getting warmer and greener here in Cortez. The other day, we were driving down the road and Shaylin sighed and said, "My, I am seeing signs of spring everywhere." Her school teachers are old and Shaylin often repeats the things that they say. For example, "I need to do my homework so I had better get my nose to the grindstone" or "Study up Skyler, because a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". What a nerd.

March 30th - Handsome

Today I told Sawyer that he is such a great helper. As he walked out of the room, I heard him say quietly to himself, "I AM a great helper, and I am so dang handsome!"

March 18th - Camping

As soon as it started to warm up, Skyler began asking Jason when we could go camping. Skyler got a cheap, little two-man tent for Valentine's Day, and he has been itching to use it somewhere besides his bedroom ever since.

So last night, Skyler and Jason slept outside together in that tiny tent. Skyler worked all day getting things ready for the big camp out. He set up the tent, sleeping bags, pillows, treats, drinks, movies and the portable DVD player all by himself.

They had a great time. Incidentally, when I asked Shaylin if she wanted to join them and she said, "You know, I like tents, but I don’t really like bugs, mud or being cold." That’s my girl.

March 10th - Growing

Macey is getting so big! She is 5 months old now. She is still sweet and patient and so completely kissable. I love her!

She can roll over from her back to her stomach, but once she gets on her tummy she screams. She hates that.

She is grabbing toys (and food and hair) really well now. She can hold toys and play with them and chew on them. It is amazing. I swear she was just born 45 minutes ago. How did she get so big already?

February 25th - Outside

Sawyer is on cloud nine this week, because it is getting so warm here! He is having so much fun being outside. He loves riding all of his little bikes. He wears his bike helmet everywhere (the store, the library, our ward movie night). It has actually saved him from some pretty big falls, so I’m not complaining.

Sawyer is also excited because all of the stupid prarie dogs in our back yard have woken up from hibernation this week. He and our dog, Chulo, spend a large part of their days chasing and digging after prarie dogs. They have yet to come close to one.

February 4th - Yard Sales

Today, Skyler and Shaylin are having "yard sales" in their rooms. They are selling old toys, pretty rocks and some of their artwork. I am now broke. Shaylin is saving up her money up to feed the poor and Skyler is saving up for a Nintendo Wii. Can you tell which of them is going to heaven? Hee hee.